Divisions, Decision: Dynamics of Consciousness

The current configurations in the sky are challenging, that is for certain. But as I witness the upheaval around the globe, what is more concerning to me than the transits is the divisiveness that seems to be showing itself not only in the country I call home, but seemingly everywhere. The ‘challenge zone’ that the sky is pushing us into, collectively, is not necessarily creating a polarization but revealing the divisions that have been present for some time.

I always like to take an observation of an external phenomenon and investigate it internally, in an attempt to draw parallels between the macrocosm and the microcosm. On an individual level, you may notice that the pressure of the global situation may have amplified pre-existing difficulties in your own life. if there were bad habits or addictions, you may feel pushed to reach for the substances that can bring a small amount of comfort in an uncertain time. If your relationships were already tense, that difficulty may be more acutely felt. At the same time, you may have noticed pockets of opportunity to change something or begin something you’ve been contemplating for a while, perhaps a new drive to be your best.

It can be dizzying, this type of internal division between the part of you that wants to rise to the occasion and the one that just cannot seem to get on board and remains stuck in the muck of self-defeating patterns. These internal pushes and pulls exist always, but can be heightened in times of stress. It would be normal to be up and down and ‘on track’ one day and ‘off the bandwagon’ the next. This is a process of deep reorientation and we are all trying to find our way in uncharted territory.

The mystifying dynamics of the conscious and unconscious mind can do a lot to explain these internal divisions which are also manifesting outwardly in a populace that seems increasingly at odds with one another (sometimes violently so). This is a topic very relevant to the study of astrology, since the outcome of both positive and negative configurations of planets in a given chart will depend, in large part, on the degree of consciousness brought to their manifestations. Difficult placements in the chart of someone who is fairly ‘awake’ can serve to only further progress them on the spiritual path, whereas for someone who has never had a self-reflective moment in their life (i’m thinking of one very public person in particular, who happens to have been born on an eclipse) they are sure to be under the complete control of those planetary placements and will manifest their most negative forms. Distance from the grip of the planets (in Vedic terms they are called ‘grahas’ which literally means ‘graspers’) only comes with an ability to step back from the immediacy of a situation in order to observe its patterns, something that psychologists have made their profession.

Freud was one of the first to get serious about the unconscious, which he surmised was the driving force of neuroses and compulsions of all kinds: those habits you seem completely unable to control despite your better knowing, as well as personality traits and tendencies that you may be completely unaware of, so absorbed in them you are. The process of therapy is meant to bring to light these hidden contents so that the individual can live an integrated and creative life, not completely driven by unconscious desires and external conditioning..

When an integration of these ignored contents of the mind and emotions is not attempted then the unconscious will continually assert itself at the most inopportune moments and through such means as addiction, compulsion, health issues, difficult relationships, etc. Basically: the more the unconscious is ignored, the stronger it becomes and the more an individual—and a society—will be at the complete mercy of their horoscope as well as the sky of the moment which I often speak of in terms of transits.

If a society or culture is carrying a large amount of undigested history then there can be a similar phenomenon wherein its members are pushed either into ‘waking up’ or a full descent into their unconscious conditioning. As you can imagine, this creates a necessary division in the populace and discord is likely. It should also be noted that the more historical baggage a society has, the more alluring unconsciousness will be—in the same that an individual with a history of trauma is much more susceptible to addiction than someone who has a healthy past.

I see this moment astrologically as a door swinging open: a hinge-point in time between epochs (which I’ve discussed here), giving us the opportunity to walk through and begin to move in a different direction, or remain stuck in place. It is interesting that at these threshold moments a choice has to be made, one way or the other. There is not much room for ambiguity. And we’re seeing that reflected in some cultural dynamics which seem to divide this country in half.. And it’s true that although ambiguity can provide a type of creative fertility, allowing us the ability to hold more than one possibility as potentially true, there are also defining moments that require us to act in a clear direction. One can think of certain historical moments when victories for humanity were won: the end of slavery, women’s right to vote, the end of Nazi Germany. You can also probably think of moments in your own life when to hesitate and wallow in uncertainty could have proved unproductive at best and fatal at worst.

So the tendency may be to become divided, in one way or another, but the sky is actually wanting us to become decisive: in other words to get clear about our priories and what drives us and on which side of the open door we will stand i.e. are you moving toward waking up or going into an even deeper sleep?

This is a time to approach everything like a Buddhist-natural historian, if you can imagine such a person: pay attention to patterns, stay awake to everything taking place around you and inside you but remain as objective as possible, staying firmly in the position of ‘witnesser’ to the experience instead of getting trapped by it. It might help to take notes, make sketches and do some research. Staying educated is critical. You may also begin to notice and get curious about any indecisiveness you may be experiencing, or a difficulty in making decisions (even if they seem like small, insignificant decisions).

Important note: this is delicate territory, being that true decisiveness and allegiance to moral integrity can become easily confused with the type of certainty which is actual a result of cultural conditioning. This second type of ‘certainty’ is often violent, unthinking and unwilling to examine itself. It can get murky in there, so best to dedicate some attention to being completely honest with yourself about where you stand on various matters—it will help in charting a course.